Secret Gardens of the City of London Private Tour
Description
This private walking tour takes us to many hidden, silent, sacred and secret gardens and ruins in the City of London. Even Londoners don't know about most of these sites and that is why they are such wonderful and historic places. Beautiful old gothic church yard gardens, each a peaceful, historic oasis in busy London. This is an immersive historical and architectural walking tour of the City of London's public pocket gardens, ancient churchyards, and medieval ruins. It does not enter private residential squares or domestic backyards. Secret Gardens of the City of London is also a #1 ranking travel book and has been the travel feature in the Independent Newspaper.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The tour starts under the majestic gaze of one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
Explore the beautiful landscaped gardens of St Pauls Cathedral.
Delightfully colourful gardens with an incredible backdrop.
This beautiful garden was redeveloped during Covid and features a water feature and view not to be missed.
Beautiful shady garden, a haven for silver birch with a cooling water feature at the rear amongst other things.
Beautiful gardens with an Italian inspiration due to the Roman ruins that lay beneath.
This secret garden is dedicated to one of the most famous Lord Mayors of London who amongst other things built the nearby church.
Almost completely hidden from view, this beautiful garden has a definitive Welsh theme with a sad history behind it.
See the incredible monument to the Great Fire of London
Visit the most beautiful ruin in the old City of London.
One time home of the most famous diarist in history, Samuel Pepys, the garden has some incredible decorative stones illustrating the unique and memorable life of this fascinating man,
This historic church and garden has been through Great Fires, Plagues, World Wars and as such as some incredible history.
80 years after The Blitz this garden is finally being redeveloped but its true secret is why it is hear at all and for that we have to go back to one of the darkest moments in Londons history, many centuries ago.
Visit London's newest sky garden which offers a fantastic view of where we have been and where we will be going. The garden has a capacity of 207 people so it is possible that on rare occasions we cannot get in. So far so good though!
A beautiful modern garden with a poignant work of art regarding the slave trade on the spot where two men campaigned tirelessly for its destruction.
A stunning Victorian market built on top of a Roman market, beautiful and iconic, seen in many shows and movies.
The garden of this ancient church is relatively plain but it has a grave within it that is possibly the most famous grave in English literature, set as it is amongst ancient lanes and alleys.
No cars or any vehicles can get close to this secret garden, huddled away in the medieval passageways. A beautiful garden with a nice sun trap too. Surrounded by old churches, pubs and the oldest coffee shop too.
Right in the middle of London we will stand on top of the old Roman amphitheatre
This little space in the heart of the old Jewish district of London and almost entirely rebuilt after WW2.
This sunken garden has a history both ancient and the merely old.
These unusual gardens hold an ancient secret uncovered in WW2, ruins of the old Roman City Wall.
This little garden has strong associations to William Shakespeare and even Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
A magnificent old tree steels the show here with incredible modern architecture all around.
Visit this beautiful but rarely visited park with its touching memorial to everyday heroes.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We can meet you at any Central London hotel (not just those listed) and then go by tube to the starting point at St Pauls.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Dress code is smart casual
- We have earmarked this tour as especially safe during the Coronavirus outbreak due to generally quiet places that we visit where social distancing is generally not a problem. All of our tours are private so it is just you/your family and your guide. To make it easier and safer for all concerned we would suggest starting this tour a little later than the usual time, perhaps around 10.30-11am which allows us all to miss rush-hour. We are happy to still come to your hotel to meet you but for the moment we would suggest meeting us at the tour starting point. This allows you to arrive by a taxi or uber rather than public transport. Please feel free to wear masks throughout or at times during the tour. Your guide will also have a mask with them.
Reviews(40)
The title of this tour is exactly what we were looking for. Unfortunately, the the content of the tour was not. This tour guide is so well schooled in the history of the city and surrounding areas going as far back as the eleven hundreds. But that is not what we wanted. We thought we were going to literally go into people's gardens that were behind locked fences, and see things we had never seen before. The only secret about the garden tour is that the gardens are built on old cemeteries. These gardens are run and maintained by the city, and therefore they look the same. The plantings are the same.
"Thank you for your feedback, and I am glad you enjoyed our guide's extensive historical knowledge going back to the 1100s! As noted in our tour description, our Secret Gardens of the City of London Private Tour is specifically designed as an architectural and historical walking journey through the ancient Roman and medieval pocket gardens, Blitz ruins, and hidden churchyards of the square mile. It focuses on the fascinating history behind these tiny urban sanctuaries rather than expansive botanical parks. We appreciate you choosing YeOldeEnglandTours and wish you the best on your future travels."
stephen is incredible. generally no one tours the city. on this tour we get to tour the city of london and visit small but great green spaces and learn about their origins. hes a delight and a wealth of info
This is a great tour! Explore gardens and parts of London that you probably would not come across otherwise. Learn tons of interesting facts about London and its history. Stephen was a great guide and so knowledgeable. Highly recommended!
Excellent tour! Very informative. Stephen was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, learnt loads about a place we thought we knew! Now have a list of his other tours to book…
I'm so glad that you enjoyed my tour and at a perfect time of year to see the gardens at their best. It was lovely to meet you both and you're always welcome back!
If I could, I’d like to give this experience a 10 out of 5. I can’t believe all of these amazing gardens, the rich history of why these places are even here, and how lucky we feel to have spent a good bit of time with Kevin, our guide. He is the most patient, passionate, knowledgeable tour guide. He knows London inside and out, and we really put him to the test. Can’t praise him highly enough. If you think you’ve “done” London, but you haven’t done this tour, prepare for a Master Class in the real London. We won’t forget this day ever.
Kevin was thrilled to receive your wonderful review. Thanks so much, we really appreciate it and so glad that you had such a good time.
We spent our morning being shown unique spaces in The City of London we never would have found on our own. In addition to discovering beautiful “ secret gardens” , we learned a great deal about Landon’s history . Stephen was an excellent guide …. Incredibly knowledgeable and fun to spend the morning with…. Highly recommend!
Thanks so much for your brilliant review. It was so lovely to spend the morning showing you the Secret Gardens and I'm thrilled to know that you had such a good time. Thankyou again!
Please request Kevin for your next tour in London! He is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about History. He is a fantastic storyteller and narrator as well. He takes good care of the people on his tour and makes you feel safe on the busy streets of London. Your time will be well spent with him!
I'm so glad that you enjoyed your tour with Kevin. Yes he is a lovely chap. Thanks so much for your kind review!
Kevin was a great tour guide with lots of historical information to share with us. We had a lovely walk through many lovely secret gardens and thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
Thanks for your kind review Ruth, it always means a lot to us when we receive one. I'm glad that you had such a good time with Kevin and the beautiful secret gardens.
Kevin was one of the most knowledgeable and personable guides we have ever had. Cannot recommend this tour and Viator enough
Thanks so much for your kind review. I'm so glad that you enjoyed your tour with Kevin so much.
The pace of the tour was steady. Great history known by the guide, Stephen.need bl ackcard at each garden to identify So when people have gone home and they are trying to sort the gardens visited.
Thanks so much for your review. I hope you're keeping well. and I'm glad that you enjoyed the tour so much!
